Day 291 A long time project done!

Many of you will remember the problems we have had in the past raising the main sail and that the folks at Strong Track had sent us a "slide cleaner" to drag up and down the track to take out anything that was binding the sail slides from going up the mast.  The first one wouldn't fit and neither would the second.  Both were too big to slide into the track.  I finally took the time to file down the slide so it would fit.   It took some doing.  I started at the shop the marina let me use--big vises and files--but after several trips back and forth after bringing it back to Zephyr to see if it fit, I just dragged out my own file and used the vise on my own workbench.  File, file, file.  It took a good bit of time. 

First, the top piece where it was to attach to the line to be dragged up and down was too wide--filed it down.  Then the slide was too wide--filed it down.   Then it was just a bit too thick to fit the track--file it down a bit.  Finally, it fit.  Only problem was that there was no room to attach the halyards(line that was to raise it to the top of the mast) as the holes were too close to the track slide area.  That's why you see the two pieces of stainless steel wire I had to add so I could clip on the line.  

Up and down it went.  Up some and then down.  Up more and then down.  I took it up and down at least a dozen times.  Some of the track came off each time I took it out after I brought it down.  Now all we have to do is wait for a calm morning and try and raise the sail.  Personally, I'm a bit skeptical that this will have solved the problem.  When Brion Toss replaced the mast head unit(where all the lines go through for raising the sails)--ours had cracks in it, one of the sheaves--wheels--that the line goes through was binding.  He told me that that was no problem as once there was tension on it from the line hoisting up the sail, it would spin free.  I don't think the sheave is rolling free and the line has to pass over a frozen wheel which will generate a lot of resistance.  I guess we will find out once we try and raise the main.

On Thursday, the marina asked us to move down a few slips as another yacht club was coming in for this weekend.  You'll remember we had to do the same last week but moved back so one of our fellow dockmates could get the electric power back he needed to run his heaters.  We talked to them and figured out which slip would work for all parties concerned.  We needed to move down two slips.  Tracy and I scoped it out and decided to try backing Zephyr into the slip.  Now this was something we had never done(ok a few times in Newport) but we needed to see if we could do it.  Now please keep in mind that we have only owned Zephyr for about a year and a half and for much of that we sat in dry dock so our docking skills aren't perhaps what you would call professional.  Add in a 6+ knot wind from the side and the fun was about to begin.  Hey, you have to learn some time and this was as good as any.  I've worked with Zephyr to understand many of her habits.  When in reverse, the stern swings to the right and will keep doing that as long as she is in gear.  It's called "prop walk".  Every boat has it.  Most swing to port, Zephyr goes to starboard(right).  As long as I understood that, I felt we would be alright.

We disconnected the power and took in the dock lines and out we went.  I pulled her back to get positioned in the center of the water way.  Then started backing up all the while being guided by Tracy.  Add some thrust, then let her glide out of gear.  Add more thrust, then let her glide.  The wind pushing us from the side made it even more interesting.  We slid into the slip just fine.  Tracy stepped down onto the dock and started tying off the lines.  I slipped Zephyr into neutral and joined her.  Boom, we were done!!  Each time, we learn more and more.

Now yesterday, the yacht club showed up for the weekend.  First, let me premise what I am going to say with the fact that I don't know everything about boating and how to handle even my own boat in all conditions.  I've had lots of training from the Coast Guard when we were members of the Auxiliary, but without lots of practice you can do a good bit of damage to docks and your boat if you don't know what you are doing.  With that being said,  watching the yacht club come into dock yesterday was more fun that a bag full of monkeys.  Tracy and I watched and watched these "experienced" boaters come in and almost to the boat, screw up their docking.

One stands out in particular.  This guy is in about a 42 foot power boat with nice big engines and side thrusters both bow and stern to make docking a cinch.  He decided to back in as the first few boats had done.  Into the first slip--nope--the wind blew him sideways.  Ok, pull out and try again.  This time into the next slip as the wind had blown him to far from the first slip.  In again,  nope.  Even with three guys there to help him, he couldn't do it.  He kept hitting the dock.  Out he went again.  This time, he turned around to go in bow first.  The wind had blown him even farther down so he tried the next slip.  This time, he would be the only boat in the slip.  He still plowed into the dock.  The only thing that saved his boat was the three guys on the dock.  His wife tried valiantly to assist with the tying off the dock lines to their boat after the guys on the dock had fastened them to the cleats on the dock.  Well, that wasn't good enough for Mister Macho--the captain.  He came out of the cabin and while the other guys were tying the boat off, snatched the lines from his wife's hands all the while berating her(not a smooth move) for not doing it right.  He took the line and passed it around one of the pilings that the dock is fastened to and then secured it to his boat.  Now please keep in mind that we have about a 13 foot tide range here.  The pilings don't move but the dock slides up and down with the piling holding it in place.   So now this idiot has tied his boat(moves up and down on the tide) to an immovable object(piling).  When I made a trip to the "head" on the dock late last night, the line around the piling was tight as a bow string.  It had snagged itself on the barnacles on the piling and wasn't going anywhere.   There have been numerous instances of lines tied off like this sinking a boat.  The boat goes up with the tide and the line pulls the side of the boat under the water line.  All those toys and he still couldn't get his boat in correctly.

Most mornings as I walk ashore, there on the bridge are lots of seagulls standing guard.  I'm not sure what they are waiting for but they are there just about every day.  By afternoon, they're gone.